Spring-gear for vehicles.



PATENTED JAN. 16, 1906.

C. A. HENNICKE.

SPRING GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.12. 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFTOE.

CHARLES A. HENNIOKE, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO PRATT.

& LETGHWVORTH COMPANY, OF BUFFALO, NElV YORK.

SPRING-GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1906.

Application filed January 12, 1905. Serial No. 240,730.

To (all whmlt it 72210.71 concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. HENNIGKE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Spring-Gears for Vehicles, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to spring-gears for vehicles ofthe side-springtype, in whichthe front bolster and rear axle are connected bylongitudinal springs which are located at opposite sides of and supportthe body. In vehicles of this character no reaches are employed and theside springs, and in some instances a center longitudinal spring, formthe, only connection between the bolster and the rear axle and there isa tendency for the gear to be thrown out of rectangular form into theform of a rhomboid on account of the twisting and wrenching of the rearaxle in rough usage.

The object of the invention is to produce a strong light frame ofmechanical and economical construction for firmly connecting the box andits supporting-springs and holding the springs in their proper relation.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a spring-gearembodying the invention, one of the side springs being partially brokenaway to disclose the connectingframe. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section,on an enlarged scale, through one side spring and one side of theconnectingfra1ne in line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section, onan enlarged scale, in line 3 3, Fig. 1, also showing the connection ofthe frame with the vehicle-body. Fig. 4 is a perspective view, on anenlarged scale, of one of the angle pieces of the connecting-frame. Fig.5 is a detail section showing a different connection between the centerspring and connectingframe.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

A and B represent, respectively, the rear axle and front bolster, O thelongitudinal side springs, which are located at the sides of the body orbox and are connected at opposite ends to the front bolster and rearaxle, and O the center spring, which is located between the side springsbeneath the box and is connected at opposite ends to the rear axle andking-bolt or front bolster. The springs are parallel, and preferably theouter or side springs are composed of several superposed angle-pieces Dat one side of the gear are overlapped and connected together and to theside spring by the bolt e, which connects the several leaves of thespring. The end of the longitudinal arm of one of the anglepieces ateach side. of the gear is offset or depressed, as shown at a, Fig. 2, sothat the longitudinal arms will bear throughout nearly their full lengthagainst the under side of the spring. The two longitudinal arms (1beneath each side spring are also attached to the springby ordinary U.-clips f, located at opposite sides of the bolt 6. The inner ends of thetransverse arms of the angle-pieces are rigidly attached in pairs to thecenter spring ()for instance, as shown in Fig. 3by springing the endsapart, so that one extends above and one below the center spring, andpassing boltsgthrough the lapped ends on opposite sides of the spring.Another way for attaching the transverse arms to the center spring isshown in Fig. 5, in which the ends of the arms are shown as lappedbeneath the spring and attached to the latter by an ordinary U-clip g,straddling the spring.

The body or box H of the vehicle (shown in Fig. 8 and indicated bybroken lines in Fig. 1) rests on and is secured to the rectangularconnecting-frame by bolts h, passing through the side sills of the boxand through bolt-holes It provided therefor in the transverse arms ofthe angle-pieces D. One of the angle-pieces at each side of the gearpreferably has a lateral extension '6, which projects outwardly beyondthe side spring and serves as a weariron to prevent the front wheels ofthe vehicle from striking and cutting the side springs.

The connecting-frame, consisting of the separate angle-pieces D, can bemade economically of malleable iron, whereas a single-piece frame ofsimilar shape and weight is not fea-- sible, owing to the practicaldifficulties in casting. It is also lighter and cheaper than asingle-piece wrought-metal frame. As the frame is attached at threepoints to each side spring and has no joints at or near its angles, theside springs cannot shift longitudinally relative to each other,twisting the gear from a rectangular into a rhomboidal form, as they canin constructions in which the joints are made at or near the angles ofthe frame. While the frame is made of separate parts, it will be notedthat no more attaching devices are required to connect the partstogether and to the side and center springs than would be necessary witha single-piece unjointed frame. A further and important advantage of theconstruction is that angle-pieces of one size can be used for gears ofdifferent widths. The transverse arms d are made long enough for thewidest gear and in applying to the vehicle it is only necessary for theworkman to lay off the proper distance between the boltholes 71/ for thebox-securing bolts and the center spring and drill the holes in theinner ends of the transverse arms d for the center spring bolts orclips.

The gear is probably stronger when the frame is attached to the centerspring; but a center spring is not essential to the rigidity of theframe, and the latter makes a desirable connection between the sidesprings where no center spring is employed, provided the ends of thetransverse arms are attached in pairs to each other.

I claim as my invention- 1. A connecting-frame for the side springs ofvehicle-spring gears, comprising four an gle-shaped corner-pieces havinglongitudinal arms which extend substantially parallel with and areconnected to the side springs, and transverse arms which extend inwardlyfrom the longitudinal arms, the inner ends of the transverse arms ofopposite corner-pieces being secured together substantially midway 5between the side springs, substantially as set forth.

2. A connecting-frame for the side springs of vehicle-spring gears,comprising four corner-pieces, each having a longitudinally-extendingarm and a transversely-extending arm, the ends of the longitudinal armsof the pieces at each side of the gear overlapping and being securedtogether and to the side spring, and 'the inner ends of the transversearms of opposite cornerpieces overlapping and being secured togethersubstantially midway between the side springs, substantially as setforth.

3. A connecting-frame for the springs of vehicle-gears having sidesprings and a center longitudinal member, comprising four angle-pieceshaving longitudinal arms which extend substantially parallel with andare attached to the side springs, and transverse arms which extendtoward and terminate substantially at said center member of the gear,the inner ends of the transverse arms of the corner-pieces being securedto said center member of the gear, substantially as set forth.

4. In a vehicle-spring gear, the combination of side springs, and aconnecting-frame comprising four angle-shaped corner-pieces havinglongitudinal arms which extend substantially parallel with and areconnected to the side springs, and transverse arms which extend inwardlyfrom the longitudinal arms, the inner ends of the transverse arms ofopposite corner-pieces being secured together substantially midwaybetween the side springs, substantially as set forth.

WVitness my hand this 31st day of December, 1904.

CHARLES A. HENNIOKE. WVitnesses CHARLES W. PARKER, EDWARD O. HARD.

